Rialto Square Theatre approves VenuWorks contract

Rialto Square Theatre approves VenuWorks contract

JOLIET – The Rialto Square Theatre board approved a contract with VenuWorks on Wednesday, the first of two steps needed for an $850,000 cash injection into the cash-strapped theater.

The five-year contract was needed to satisfy a condition set by the city of Joliet before it would issue $250,000 as a first installment in its annual funding for the theater.

Meanwhile, the Rialto Square Theatre Foundation, the fundraising arm of the theater, will be in court Friday to seek authority to make a $600,000 loan from its endowment to the theater.

The Rialto has a $650,000 backlog in bills, which has forced the theater to cut staff hours and reduce janitorial service.

Interim Executive Director Timothy Berry said one of his top priorities will be to improve cleaning services for tenants in office space owned by the Rialto.

Berry told the board that housekeeping service “has been short-staffed and short-supplied. We’re doing the best we can, but there are many incidents where we have fallen short.”

The janitorial company that cleaned the Rialto theater and offices stopped providing service in April 2016 because it was not getting paid, and is suing for payment.

The theater’s building operations manager, Mike Biedron, also quit in December, saying he and his wife had been doing the janitorial work since May because the Rialto would not hire anyone to do the job. Rialto staff continue to clean the Rialto, but Berry said more help is needed.

The Rialto Square Theatre board approved the contract with a 6-0 vote.